Author: jmcatee

  • How to Hire a Freelance Content Strategist for Your B2B SaaS Brand

    How to Hire a Freelance Content Strategist for Your B2B SaaS Brand

    Hiring the right freelance content strategist can be the difference between content that drives pipeline, and content that drives no one. Especially for B2B SaaS brands, where the buyer journey is long, competitive pressure is high, and internal teams are stretched thin, finding the right partner isn’t optional. It’s critical.

    Here’s how to know what you’re looking for, what to ask, and what to avoid.

    Why B2B SaaS brands turn to freelance content strategists

    The best B2B SaaS companies know that growth comes from speed and smart execution. And for many, that means turning to freelancers not as a stopgap, but as a strategic move.

    Here’s why:

    • You can scale faster without needing to add headcount or get bogged down in HR.
    • You get access to specialized expertise in SaaS content marketing, not just generic B2B copywriters.
    • You get flexible firepower. A great strategist can help plan, write, optimize, and connect the dots across marketing, product, and sales.
    • It’s budget-efficient. Fractional help from the right person costs less than a full-time hire and often delivers faster ROI.

    And when done right, freelance content strategy isn’t merely a plug-and-play resource. It’s a partnership that accelerates growth.

    What makes a great freelance content strategist for SaaS?

    Not all freelancers are created equal. Here’s what to look for if you want someone who can actually move the needle:

    • Understands the SaaS buyer journey
      Not just top-of-funnel blog content, but mid-funnel nurture, sales enablement, and decision-stage clarity. They know how SaaS deals actually close, and where content fits.
    • Thinks beyond blog posts
      This isn’t about publishing for publishing’s sake. A good strategist will ask, “How does this piece move someone closer to a demo, a trial, or a contract?”
    • Can build strategy and execute
      You don’t always have the luxury of splitting strategy and writing across two roles. A good freelancer can take the brief, connect it to your goals, and deliver actual content too.
    • Knows how to work cross-functionally
      They can navigate the language of product, the needs of sales, and the campaign timing of marketing. That fluency matters, especially when content sits in the middle of all three.
    • Brings more than just words
      You’re not hiring a blog factory. You’re hiring someone who can think critically, challenge assumptions, and help you make better decisions with your content budget.

    5 key questions to ask before you hire a B2B SaaS content strategist

    Before you bring in a freelance strategist, ask these five questions to make sure they’re the right fit:

    1. Can you show examples of B2B SaaS content you’ve built?

    Don’t just take their word for it. Ask for links to blog posts, nurture sequences, strategy docs, pillar pages – anything that proves they’ve worked with SaaS brands and understand your world.

    2. How do you approach building a content strategy aligned to pipeline goals?

    You’re not just trying to get traffic. You want leads, engagement, and momentum that aligns with sales. A good strategist will talk about ICPs, buyer journeys, and content mapping, not just keywords.

    3. What tools and platforms are you comfortable working with?

    You’ll move faster with someone who’s used HubSpot, WordPress, Webflow, Notion, Clearbit, SEMrush, or whatever you’ve got in your stack. Familiarity means fewer speed bumps.

    4. How do you measure content success?

    If they start and stop with “pageviews,” that’s a red flag. Look for answers that include conversions, engagement depth, time-to-demo, or how content accelerates opportunity velocity.

    5. What’s your typical engagement model?

    Are they project-based? Retainer only? Monthly strategy calls? You need someone whose workflow fits your team, and who won’t disappear mid-project or overload your calendar.

    Red flags to watch out for

    Even good writers can be the wrong fit for B2B SaaS. Here’s what to keep an eye on:

    • A generic portfolio with no SaaS work or strategic examples
    • Over-indexing on SEO metrics without talking about how people actually buy software
    • Talking only about writing without ever asking about business goals
    • Lack of awareness around SaaS sales cycles, or how long the journey can be

    You’re not hiring a freelancer. You’re hiring a partner in how your brand shows up and grows.

    Why having the right partner matters

    Content isn’t a box to check. It’s a growth lever, if you treat it like one.

    The right freelance content strategist won’t just help you “get more blogs out.” They’ll help you build a content system that drives real pipeline, shortens sales cycles, strengthens your brand, and aligns teams.

    And when you find someone who fits, the impact is measurable.

    Need help scaling your SaaS content strategy?
    I work with B2B SaaS brands to build smart, effective content programs that move the needle, not just fill the calendar.
    ➡️ Let’s talk

  • Why Your Content Isn’t Driving Leads – and What to Do Instead

    Why Your Content Isn’t Driving Leads – and What to Do Instead

    You’ve got the blog. The gated content. The webinars. The nurture emails. You’re publishing regularly, maybe even following SEO best practices. So … why is your content not driving leads?

    That’s a frustrating, familiar place for a lot of marketing teams, especially in B2B. You’re checking the boxes, but the pipeline isn’t showing it. And worse, you may not know where the breakdown is happening.

    Let’s fix that.

    Here’s why your content might not be generating leads, and what to do instead to turn your strategy into something actually measurable.

    1. You’re publishing but not strategizing

    This is the most common trap I see: Content activity mistaken for content strategy.

    Teams get stuck in a cadence (“Two blogs a month,” “A quarterly asset,” “One nurture per campaign”) and assume consistency will eventually pay off. But if the content doesn’t align with your buyers’ journey or solve a pain point they actually care about, it’s just noise.

    What to do instead
    Step back and ask:

    • Who is this really for?
    • What stage of the journey are they in?
    • What problem does this piece solve?
    • If they take the action I want them to, what does that tell me about them?
    • What do I want them to do next?

    Start there. Then build your content around those answers. Otherwise, you’re just creating for creation’s sake.

    free, no-risk, actionable audit

    Want a free content audit you can read in 5 minutes?

    Let’s get started

    2. Your content has no real point of view

    Informational content can be helpful, but if it lacks perspective, it blends into the background.

    B2B buyers don’t want bare information. They want clarity. They want someone to help them make a decision or challenge how they’re thinking.

    If your blog posts feel generic, it’s probably because they’re trying to be “safe” or “neutral.” And that makes them – and, thus, you – pretty forgettable.

    What to do instead
    Start with a clear, confident opinion.
    You don’t need to be polarizing, but you do need to stand for something. If you can’t answer, “What’s the take here?” your reader can’t either.

    3. You haven’t connected your content to a next step

    You wrote a great piece. But now what? If your CTA is “Contact us” or “Learn more” — and there’s no relevant offer, resource, or funnel connection — you’ve created a dead end.

    Leads don’t just happen. You have to guide people toward them.

    What to do instead
    Pair every piece of content with:

    • A CTA tailored to where the reader is in the journey
    • A follow-up path (nurture email, related blog post, light-touch asset)
    • An actual reason for the reader to take action (urgency, value, clarity)

    If your content doesn’t give the reader something to do, you’re relying on wishful thinking.

    4. You’re not optimizing — you’re just publishing

    Content decay is real. And most teams don’t have the bandwidth to update blog posts or landing pages that fell off six months ago. But that’s where huge opportunity hides.

    If your site has solid bones (Think: old blog posts with decent structure, or content that once ranked), you’re likely leaving leads on the table by letting it gather dust.

    What to do instead
    Refresh content with:

    • Updated stats and examples (Have you done any recent research?)
    • Sharper intros and CTAs (Have your goals changed?)
    • Focused keywords with long-tail intent (What’s evolved in your industry?)
    • Internal linking that builds reader momentum (What relevant content have you published recently?)

    A good content refresh can outperform a brand-new post, at a fraction of the effort.

    5. You’re creating for volume, not value

    It’s tempting to “feed the engine” with constant content. But not every post needs to be 1,200 words. Not every asset needs to be a gated whitepaper. And not every email needs to go out on schedule just because it’s Tuesday.

    More content does not equal more leads.

    What to do instead
    Invest in fewer, better pieces:

    • Strong pillar pages that anchor your SEO strategy
    • Blog posts that answer real questions (the kind your sales team hears all the time)
    • Mid-funnel content designed to convert (not just inform)

    High-quality, well-aligned content builds momentum. Low-impact filler slows everything down.

    6. You’re not nurturing leads after the click

    Even when someone does engage – reads a post, downloads something, signs up – what happens next?

    If your lead nurture is out of sync with your content or feels like a canned drip, you’re likely losing qualified prospects before they even consider raising their hand.

    What to do instead
    Build nurture journeys that:

    • Reflect the topic and tone of the content they just consumed
    • Offer value and insight before trying to “sell”
    • Guide readers logically toward a conversion point (not a blind push)

    This is where strategy and execution meet. And where most teams fall short.

    Ready to turn your content into something measurable?

    If any of this sounds painfully familiar, you’re not alone.
    And this is exactly what Hustle Double helps teams fix. Here’s our cheat sheet to show you precisely the steps to take.

    ➡️ Let’s set up a call and talk through what’s not working – and what we can do to stretch your content further. Not ready to talk? Start with the free 5-minute content audit right here.

    Because it’s not just about content. It’s about results.
    Let’s hustle smarter.

  • Why Hustle Works: The Content Strategy Behind the Name

    Why Hustle Works: The Content Strategy Behind the Name

    You can’t fake hustle. And in content marketing, you can’t afford to.

    When I started Hustle Double, I didn’t name it after some vague business metaphor. I named it after one of my favorite moments in baseball – when a player turns what should be a routine single into a double simply by running harder than anyone expected.

    It’s not flashy. It’s not loud.
    It’s just smart, fast, and effective.

    That’s the mindset I’ve brought to content strategy throughout my career, and it’s the same mindset I bring to my work with clients.

    Content that stretches further

    Too often, brands crank out content with no real plan behind it. A blog post here. A lead magnet there. A nurture email series that kind of trails off after the second message.

    There’s no connective tissue. And, more importantly, no clear business outcome.

    At Hustle Double, the goal is to stretch every piece of content further. That might mean:

    • Refreshing an old blog post into a top-ranking SEO asset
    • Turning a one-off campaign into a long-tail nurture
    • Connecting strategy to actual pipeline and booked revenue

    The work doesn’t have to be loud to be valuable. It just has to be focused, and hustled through with intent.

    Why strategy matters more than ever

    We’re in an era of content overload. AI can generate 500 blog posts a day if you let it. Everyone’s publishing, but very few are leading with clarity.

    The brands that win are the ones who have a system. A strategy.
    A way to extract real value from the content they create.

    That’s what Hustle Double is built for.

    Let’s stretch something ordinary into something exceptional

    If you’re ready to stop making content just for the sake of it, and start using it to drive real growth, let’s talk.

    Because the difference between a single and a double isn’t always how hard you hit it.

    Sometimes, it’s just how fast you run.

    TL;DR

    • Hustle Double is built around a simple idea: do more with what you already have.
    • Content should drive outcomes – not just activity.
    • If you want sharper strategy, stronger execution, and a little hustle behind it, let’s connect.